FBH Ch. 1

I just started reading the book Faith Begins at Home:  The Family Makeover with Christ at the Center by Mark Holmen and am absolutely LOVING it.  I have had a hard time putting it down.

Our church, and entire community for that matter, is in dire need of some major revamping when it comes to our Children's Ministry Programs, or lack thereof.  As the mother of a little girl who, in a few short years, will be entering Sunday School classes, I feel the need to get this ball rolling now, rather than wait until Natalie is in these classes.  With a bunch of other parents on board already, we have seen discussion and action starting to take place.  A dear friend of mine recommended this book after talking with one of his classmates, author Mark Holmen.

As a way to keep notes for myself, I have decided to write a bit about the book as I go through it.  So, this is the start of it all...FBH (Faith Begins at Home) Ch. 1:

So many parents now-a-days treat church as a 'drop-off zone' for their children on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights for church activities.  Unfortunately this has created the habit of 'playing' a Christian for a couple hours on Sundays and Wednesdays rather than actually 'being' a Christian the entire week through.  Parents NEED to get involved as well...to help carry this through the week. 

Joshua 24:14 says "Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness."  Holmen points out that God asked us to serve the Lord with ALL faithfulness, not just SOME, because SOME allows sin to creep in, and sin hurts (and even destroys) families. 

I hate the phrase "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas."  Why is it okay in our society for you to act one way in Vegas and then return home and pretend like nothing happened????  Same with Sundays and Wednesdays versus the entire week.  Why is it okay in our present day society to 'play' the role of the Christian on Sundays and Wednesdays but then not 'be' that same Christian throughout the entire week? 

God asks us to serve him with ALL faithfulness, granted this is very hard to do, but in Jeremiah 29:11 he reminds us that he has our best interest in mind.  " 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' "  Sounds like a great deal to me!

So, the question is...where do we start in order to change this view so common in society?  IN OUR OWN HOMES! and I vow to do just that...to raise up my children in a home where we desire to serve the Lord with ALL faithfulness and 'be' a Christian all week long! 

At the end of each chapter there are some activities that help you to implement what you have just read.  Activity 1 for Ch. 1 is to Bless Your Home by praying in each room of the house.  I hope to make this a tradition that the Fast family does at the beginning of each year as our family grows.  Activity 3 for this chapter is to write a Family Mission Statement.  I want to do this as well, but hope to add to/edit it as our family grows.

This was only Chapter 1 and I'm loving it already.  Excited for Chapter 2!

Thank goodness...

Thank goodness for Nana D and her camera.  We were able to spend today at the farm and she caught some of Natalie's newest quirks on film (funny face and rolling over).  Check them out!

Again, click on the following link to see some great videos.
Click here!
I especially like the first video.  Natalis is doing this crazy lip puckering type of face.  It makes us laugh!

Nana DeeDee was also able to get a few cute photos. 
Click here for the photos!

P.S.  Love and miss you Nebraska folk!  Can't wait to see you when we come down for Carrie's graduation.

Comparison

Here are some pictures of Tony and I as babies.  Natalie is definitely ours!

Here I am at 4 months.  I now have hazel eyes, but they are still blue in this picture...so we'll see with Natalie.

Amy at 4 months.

Amy at 3 months.

Here is Tony at 4-5 months with is big blues. 

This looks so much like Natalie...it blows my mind.

Logo

Here is Tony's logo for Fast FAB.  If you;ve seen it around, that is a good thing!

Learning to Roll

This video was taken on February 24th. Natalie was just learning to roll from her belly to her back.

Since then she has begun to master this skill, we just haven't been able to catch her on video yet. Also, we're not sure if it is always on purpose at this point...but hey, it happens quite a bit.

A must see!!

Natalie has been giggling for a couple weeks now, but we have not been able to catch it on video yet. 
Well, Nana DeeDee got to hear Natalie giggle for the first time this past Sunday when we went up to the farm for a visit.  Luckily she was quick enough to catch it on video for us. 

You MUST go to their blog and check it out! 
Click here to hear Natalie's giggles

That little noise is the most precious thing I have EVER heard! 

3 months pictures

Some photos of Natalie on her 3 month birthday!

This was her Valentine's Day outfit.

Pondering something??

No, she just has her fingers in her mouth CONSTANTLY!

Smiles.

Come on...rub my belly! :)

We cannot believe she is three months already.  Time has really flown by.

We love our little love bug!

Work it Girl, Work it!

So the other day I laid Natalie down on the floor like this...

And about10 minutes later found her like this...

She gets to kicking her legs and rolling to her side a few times and she gets all twisted around. 

Before we know it she'll be rolling over...wait...she does that...I just have yet to get a video of her.

In a post to come!